SOMETHING pretty special happened when Nullawil hosted Moulamein in Round 9 of the Golden Rivers Football League reserves season on Saturday.
Spectators could have been forgiven for momentarily thinking they had stumbled across an AFL Masters super-rules match.
In fact, the sight of Tony Doran and Daryl Pearse running side by side, as they have many times before, offered the chance for a moment to reflect.
Between them they are a couple of years shy of 100, have played well over 1000 games and have turned out alongside their sons for the clubs they have given such long and loyal service to.
Pearse played his 600th game against Ultima and his sons Matthew and Ben are well on the way as well.
Doran is now within a season of reaching his 600th game and just four goals shy of his 3000th.
Son Kyle is also part of the furniture at Nullawil, but will be watching from the sidelines for 12 months after rupturing his anterior crucial ligament three weeks ago.
When The Guardian spoke to Doran senior yesterday, Kyle was in Melbourne consulting a specialist ahead of a knee reconstruction.
On his own future, Doran senior said he would rather a low-key finish to his career — whenever that may come.
“I’ve said I won’t retire, I’ll just stop playing. People retire and come out of retirement. I’d prefer to just drift away in to the background,” he said.
Doran said he had been aware the 3000-goal mark was close but considered it a product of his longevity as much as anything else.
“Personally, I suppose it’s a bit of a milestone but it’s one of those things, if you play a lot of footy it comes along sometimes,” he said.
On his own form this season, Doran said he had been reasonably happy.
“It’s not been too bad. You can’t expect a lot week to week,” he said.
On the form of his team, however, Doran was more bullish.
“The team is undefeated and traveling really well,” he said.
Doran has experienced his share of success in recent years with an outfit that won successive premierships — three of which were coached by the inspirational full forward.
But the team success is a bonus, with camaraderie being Doran’s most valued footy prize.
“That’s what you play for. The camaraderie with the kids right through… there’s no age gap or generation gap,” he said.
And that might be a key ingredient in the 49-year-old’s ability to keep on keeping on.
“My first senior game of footy was in 1980 — most of the guys weren’t even born then,” he said.
